1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to managing delivery of program initiatives. More specifically, the present invention is related to program management software that shows program initiative status and jeopardies in a convenient easy-to-understand manner.
2. Background of the Invention
Program management of large program initiatives is a complex, time-consuming task in which large amounts of information must be integrated and presented to decision makers such as program managers. Presenting this information in a convenient manner is a difficult proposition. Generally, program initiatives are broken up into identifiable tasks (or phases) to be performed to complete the program initiative. Each of these tasks is conventionally assigned a completion date and resources required to complete the task.
A significant program management problem where there are a plurality of on-going program initiatives is assigning resources among the program initiatives in an efficient and consistent manner, and ensuring required inputs are available so that the tasks for each project can be completed by a target completion date. It is often the case however, that there are insufficient resources to assign, or required inputs are not available when required. Consequently, programs are delayed.
To assist program managers in tracking the progress of program initiatives, numerous program management software products have been developed. These products allow program management techniques such as creating timelines that show when tasks expected to begin and end, actual task completion dates, and project and task manager identities. However, they often present this data for only one project at a time. Moreover, the data is often not intuitively presented, which makes it difficult for managers and other decision makers to quickly assess the data so they can make decisions proactively, rather than reactively. That is, conventional software makes it difficult to see prospectively, where problems are likely to occur, and managers must often react to fix problems after they occur rather than reallocate resources, or take other action, to prevent problems from occurring.
Consequently, conventional program management software does not achieve the goal of presenting the vast amounts of information available to it in a convenient easy-to-use format that provides crucial information to decision makers so that they can make informed decisions as to how to allocate scarce resources and expertise to complete program initiatives in a timely manner.